In California, a money judgment is good for 10 years from the date the court clerk enters it.1California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 683.020 During that decade the creditor can garnish wages, levy bank accounts, and record liens against real property. When the 10 years run out, the judgment expires and can no longer be collected — unless the creditor files a renewal before the deadline, which resets the clock for another 10 years.
When the 10-Year Clock Starts
The clock starts on the date of entry, meaning the day the court clerk formally records the judgment. It does not start on the day the judge announced the ruling from the bench, and it does not pause while an appeal is pending or while the debtor is unable to pay.
The deadline is firm. Miss it by a single day and the judgment becomes permanently unenforceable.2California Courts. Renew a Civil Judgment There is no grace period and no way to revive an expired judgment.
Renewing Before the 10 Years Run Out
A creditor can extend enforcement by filing an Application for and Renewal of Judgment (Form EJ-190) with the same court that issued the original judgment. The filing fee is $45, and the application asks for the current balance owed, including accrued interest and any credits for payments made.3Judicial Council of California. Application for and Renewal of Judgment
Once renewed, the judgment is enforceable for another 10 years, measured from the date the renewal application was filed rather than from the original entry date.4Justia. California Code of Civil Procedure 683.110-683.220 – Renewal of Judgments Judgments can be renewed more than once, but after the first renewal, each subsequent renewal cannot be filed within five years of the last one. In practice, that means later renewals must be filed between year five and year ten of each renewed period.
The first renewal has no minimum waiting period. A creditor could file it a year after entry if they wanted, though most wait until the original 10 years are closer to running out.
The Debtor Gets Notice, and 60 Days to Push Back
After the court processes the renewal, the creditor must serve the debtor with a Notice of Renewal of Judgment. The debtor then has 60 days from service to file a motion asking the court to vacate or modify the renewal — for example, if the amount is miscalculated, the judgment was already paid, or a subsequent renewal was filed too soon.5California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 683.170
What Renewal Does to the Balance
Renewal is not just a clock reset. All the interest that accrued during the previous 10 years gets rolled into the new principal balance.6California Courts. Judgment Renewals and Interest Rates From that point forward, interest accrues on the larger amount, which produces a compounding effect over multiple renewal cycles.
A $30,000 judgment left unpaid at the standard 10% rate accrues $30,000 in interest over 10 years. At renewal, the principal becomes $60,000, and interest during the next decade runs on that figure. This is why debtors who can negotiate a settlement often benefit from doing so before a renewal is filed.
What Happens If the Creditor Doesn’t Renew in Time
If the 10 years pass without a renewal filing, the consequences for the creditor are severe and permanent. The judgment becomes unenforceable, ongoing collection activity must stop, and any liens created by the judgment are extinguished.1California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 683.020 Wage garnishment orders end, bank levies stop, and the creditor loses the tools that made the judgment worth anything in the first place.
For a debtor, an expired judgment is genuinely over. The creditor may still believe the money is owed, but the courts will no longer help collect it, and any liens clouding the debtor’s property title should clear.
Interest While the Judgment Is Alive
Interest accrues on a California judgment from the date of entry until it is paid in full. The standard rate is 10% per year on the unpaid balance.7California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 685.010
A lower 5% rate applies in two specific situations for judgments entered on or after January 1, 2023 (or where a renewal is filed on or after that date):
- Judgments against an individual for personal debt where the principal is under $50,000. Personal debt covers things like credit card balances, auto financing contracts, and payday loans.
- Judgments for medical expenses where the principal is under $200,000.
The reduced rate does not apply across the board to individuals. Judgments arising from fraud, other tortious conduct, or unpaid wages still accrue at the full 10% regardless of amount.7California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 685.010
Judgment Liens on Real Property Follow the Same Clock
A judgment lien on real property lasts 10 years from the date the underlying judgment was entered.8California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure CCP 697.310 Renewing the judgment extends the lien’s life along with it, but if the judgment lapses, the lien lapses too.2California Courts. Renew a Civil Judgment
This matters because a recorded lien attaches to real property the debtor owns in the county of recording, and generally has to be paid off before that property can be sold or refinanced. Losing the lien through expiration means losing that leverage for good.
Bankruptcy Can End Collection Sooner
The 10-year clock is not the only way a judgment stops being collectible. If the debtor files bankruptcy, an automatic stay immediately halts most collection activity tied to the judgment, including wage garnishments and bank levies.9U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Automatic Stay, What Is It and Does It Protect a Debtor From All Creditors
Whether the underlying judgment survives depends on the type of debt. Many consumer debts, including credit card balances and medical bills, can be discharged, which wipes out the judgment. Debts arising from fraud, certain tax obligations, and domestic support obligations generally cannot be discharged, so the judgment survives and remains enforceable when the bankruptcy case closes. The interaction between state court judgments and federal bankruptcy law is complicated enough that both sides usually benefit from consulting an attorney.